Tommy Miller
In Biggles and the Penitent Thief, Tommy Miller was the son of Biggles' former subordinate "Dusty" Miller and a member of the gang of robbers who mounted the robbery at the jewelry firm of Marchants, making off with jewels worth some one quarter of a million pounds. Tommy had shown much promise early on. Taught by his father, he had shown great proficiency with instruments for fine adjustments and precision measurements. After school he easily found a job at Clufts, a company specialising in locks and keys for safes. His father surmised that the gang had identified him for recruitment because of this. Tommy was recruited into the gang by Lew Darris. Some time before the events in the book, Darris had been driving a stolen car when he offered Tommy a lift. After the car became caught in a traffic jam, Darris had stepped out to take a look at what was causing it. Spotting a police road block, he promptly walked off. This left Miller alone in the car and he was subsequently arrested and jailed for the theft of the vehicle. Only Miller's fingerprints had been found in on the steering wheel as Darris had carefully worn gloves. By the time Miller was released from prison, he had become embittered and ready for recruitment. Darris it seemed, was waiting for him. Darris must have excelled in the art of persuasion, as Miller, far from reporting him to the police, was convinced enough to follow Darris to meet his boss, Otto Raulstein and join his gang. Darris, Miller and fellow gang member Grant then staged the robbery at Marchants and the whole lot of them then left England on board a yacht, the Lapwing which Raulstein had obtained. After a troubled voyage which saw Raulstein murder Grant, Tommy arrived on Marten Island with Darris and Raulstein where they took refuge in a log cabin. There, Darris saw Raulstein secretly hiding the jewel loot. He showed the place to Tommy, who took the opportunity to move the sack into a foxhole some distance away. Knowing that Raulstein might well kill him and Miller next, he conspired with Miller to kill Raulstein first. However while Darris was lifting a poker to strike Raulstein, a gold ring slipped from his pocket. Raulstein read this as a sign of treachery and immediately drew a gun and shot him dead. Raulstein was upset to find that the loot had been moved and blamed Darris. Tommy feared for his life but fortunately, at this time, Angus Campbell, the owner of Marten Island, landed on the island, found them, and took them to Rankinton. Tommy desperately needed to escape from Raulstein. After staying with Campbell for one night, he left Rankinton. He had picked up the ring Darris had dropped and pawned it. Using the money, he made his way back to Britain. On reaching home, Tommy's father approached Biggles for advice. Tommy was now the only person who knew where the stolen jewels were and hoped this might persuade the authorities to leave Tommy alone if he divulged the information. Biggles faced a dilemma and consulted Air Commodore Raymond who brought the matter to the Commissioner of Scotland Yard. Naturally the police did not and would not strike bargains with criminals, but Tommy was promised that if he would cooperate with the recovery of the jewels, he would be treated with leniency. While not ideal, Biggles and Tommy's father persuaded him that this was the best deal he could get and that he should take it. Tommy accompanied Biggles, Ginger and Bertie back to Marten Island and successfully recovered the jewels, despite several tense encounters with Raulstein, who had also returned to search for the same loot. Upon returning to Britain, Tommy had to stand trial for his offences but his subsequent behaviour was taken into account and he was discharged. Category:People Category:Biggles characters Category:Air Police era characters